Being the daughter of New America’s leader, Mercury Masters has everything a girl could want. A glamorous life full of beautiful people, and the power to have anything she wants, except for one thing—to escape. Because Mercury’s perfect life comes with secrets to keep. Dangerous secrets that if made public would destroy her, her family, and her father’s reign. Then she meets Hawk.

A boy looking to be a hero.

Hawk, a handsome prep school dropout turned vigilante, has his own family secrets. Deadly secrets that have haunted him since he was fifteen. But instead of fighting the ghosts of his past, Hawk has assembled a group of misfit hackers and thieves to save the future from the corrupt government of New America and the mysterious virus that is killing off its citizens. But trying to do the right thing is tough when the person you really want to save is your enemy’s daughter.

A love that could kill them both.

Powerful forces keep them apart, but coming together could be the key to saving New America from destruction—even though it may cost both their lives.

A cool draft whispered through the space and Hawk’s bare arms quivered, drawing my attention again. I already knew he was physically strong, but now I could see how fit he really was. My eyes took their time running over each sculpted ridge, from his collarbone to his hips at the edge of his low-slung jeans. Lean, defined muscles started in his broad shoulders and rippled into his chest and arms. He wasn’t bulky, just clean and toned and functional. Almost militant. Absolutely sexy.

But a surprising tattoo peeked out from underneath his arm and traced down his ribs. A picture of a robin. It wasn’t fresh, but the color of the bird’s red chest beamed bright enough to say it wasn’t old either. Every shape, every contour of the bird flowed, fluid and beautiful. Every detail perfect. The edges of the feathers looked soft enough to be real. Like one day it might free itself from his flesh and fly away.

Without thinking, I ran the tip of my finger along the back of the bird. Hawk twitched as our skin connected, but he didn’t tell me to stop.

“Why a bird?” I asked as I traced the wings, his exposed skin pebbling into goose bumps under my touch.

“My mom….” He turned his head to face me. The fire in his eyes had burned out. Only ashes left. “She always called me her little bird. That I reminded her of springtime. I got it for her.”

“She must be very proud of you.”

“She’s dead.”

Scarlett Kol grew up in Northern Manitoba reading books and writing stories about creatures that make you want to sleep with the lights on. As an adult, she’s still a little afraid of the dark. Scarlett now lives just outside Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada with her husband and two boys, but if you need to find her she’s likely freezing at the hockey rink.